


Twins

by taztaas (manala)



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-11 11:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13523313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manala/pseuds/taztaas
Summary: For twinsweek @ tumblr





	1. I have an idea (DAY ONE: your favorite twin)

**Author's Note:**

> For [twinsweek](https://twinsweek.tumblr.com/)
> 
> DAY ONE: your favorite twin/both if you can’t decide  
> DAY TWO: sibling bonding  
> DAY THREE: childhood  
> DAY FOUR: free space/headcanons  
> DAY FIVE: taako ship  
> DAY SIX: lup ship  
> DAY SEVEN: post canon

The IPRE is Lulu’s idea.

Most ideas are.

_“Cooking is kinda fun, isn’t it Taako? Auntie could teach us!”_

_“We can’t stay here anymore, Taako.”_

_“How about we tag along one of these caravans, Taako?”_

_“Taako, let’s learn magic!”_

_“Taako, I want to join the Institute.”_

And Taako follows suit, because why not? It’s not like Lup’s ideas are bad, and what would he be without her?

He doesn’t come up with ideas. He’s content with following. It’s easier, and Lup is a good leader.

They join the expedition. They live and die and fight for a century.

On cycle 99 Lup disappears, and they forget, they all forget.

Taako doesn’t remember being led, but he remembers following along.

“I am but a simple idiot wizard,” He tells the director, and it feels true, but at the same time it feels like there should be someone correcting him. There should be someone telling him he’s wrong.

But there isn’t, and that’s just how it is.

They form a team. Taako, Merle and Magnus; the reclaimers. They are hardly competent but they make it work and manage to have some fun along the way.

He feels a connection with the two. A connection that feels somehow familiar even though he has never had a person like that in his life.

Wonderland seems cool at first, but ends up being the shittiest place ever.

Taako is hurting, his friends are hurting and he’s fucking tired of it all. He thinks he might actually die here.

And then the liches take Magnus.

And Taako doesn’t think, he just acts.

“I got a fuckin’ idea for ya.”


	2. Fifteen dollars (DAY TWO: sibling bonding)

Greg was not having the best of nights.

Now that the ship for the upcoming expedition was in development, the whole area around the hangar was to be kept clear of curious onlookers and other meddlers.

Greg had promised to cover the night shift for a friend who was supposed to be on guard duty tonight. He had been promised adequate compensation, and he needed the money.

It had been pretty boring thus far, strolling around in the dark and scaring off the occasional young IPRE recruit. Now it was past curfew on the campus, so Greg was expecting the rest of the night to go quietly.

But of course it wouldn’t be that easy. Two elves had just scaled the fence and were strolling towards the building that housed the starship like nobody’s business.

“HEY!”

Greg yelled and ran towards the pair. The elves stopped, turned around at stuck their hands in their pockets in perfect sync.

“You’re not supposed to be here. The hangar and launch area are strictly off limits until further notice.”

The elves stared down at him, deadpan looks on their identical faces, unflinching under Greg’s blue-eyed glare.

He cleared his throat.

“Anyway, you girls should-” The elf on the left cocked their brow and smiled mockingly. “…Boys?” The one on the right raised their brow similarly and grinned.

“Fucking- elves! Whatever you are!” Greg huffed, annoyed.

“Whoa, whoa, homie!” The other said,

“Take it easy big guy,” The other continued.

“We’re just messin’ with ya.”

“Yeah, chill bro!”

The twins were taking turns speaking, seamlessly filling out for the other, finishing each other’s sentences. It was extremely unnerving. Greg took a breath and steadied himself.

“You need to leave. You can’t be here.” He said, going for a stern and authoritative tone but the elves just smiled at him, eyes crinkling. They both put an arm around the other’s shoulders and hung onto each other, slouching.

“Nah, dude,”

“We think we can,”

“No,”

“We know we can,”

“Coz we’re gonna board that baby in there,”

“We’re gonna get on the expedition.”

Greg frowned, crossing his arms.

“You don’t know that. No one knows who will be chosen for the crew.”

There was a subtle twitch at the corner of the twins’ mouths and they leaned in, still holding onto each other, looming over Greg.

“What’s your name, thug?” The one on the left asked.

“Greg.”

“Surname?” They said simultaneously.

“Grimmaldis,” Greg said hesitantly, unsure of where this conversation was going.

Matching, somewhat predatory grins appeared on the twins’ faces, perfectly synchronized. Greg felt a chill run down his spine.

“Wanna bet,  _Greg Grimmaldis_?” The one on the right said.


	3. Pinky Promise (DAY THREE: childhood)

“What would you like to do when you grow up?” They are asked, and they are both equally excited, but Taako hides it better.

He’s good at that, hiding. Good at hanging back. He’s not a coward, he’s not an idiot. He knows what he’s good at, knows what Lup’s good at.

“I like to make things,” Taako says, at the same time as Lup says, “I like to break things!”

Lup likes fire. She hates being cold and fire is warmth. She likes the destructive power of it. 

She likes to make bad things go away, and what better way to do that than burning it all to the ground.

Taako doesn’t mind the cold. He likes making things, likes changing things. Sometimes for the better, sometimes just prettier, sometimes just anything else.

Always together. Lup at the front, bright as the sun, commanding all the attention while Taako stays back, becomes a mere shadow and picks as many pockets as he can.

And if they get caught, Lup will fight and protect or Taako will distract and disguise and they are gone, gone before no one even knows their names.

They bury enough homes, enough memories of makeshift families to decide no more. No place is like home but they build a home in their hearts.

Being together, that is home. They have all the family they need in each other.

They never have it easy, but they remember, they learn. Just a couple of ragamuffins but they grow and maybe they are wild but they are free.

“We are going to live,” Taako says, at the same time as Lup says, “We are going to be legends!”

They hook their pinkies together and that’s their promise.


	4. Terror Twins (DAY FOUR: headcanon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My hc is that the twins were the bane of Davenport’s existence at the beginning of IPRE training.

The twins are absolutely terrible.

If they weren’t so brilliant, Davenport wouldn’t even consider them for the crew. The upcoming expedition is immeasurably important and the first of its kind, they are going to need capable people on board.

It’s too bad that more often than not, the twins make him want to rip off his facial hair in frustration. They have an uncanny ability of being unbelievably annoying.

Right now, Taako is sleeping at his desk, head pillowed on his arms while Lup is leaning back on her chair, balancing it on two legs. She’s chewing on bubblegum and popping it every now and then. An (possibly) unintentional but extremely efficient interruption.

Davenport sighs, pausing his Fantasy PowerPoint presentation.

“Taako and Lup… please pay attention. Or at least pretend to.”

Reacting immediately, Lup slams her chair forward, startling everyone in the room except Taako who doesn’t even flinch.

“Aye, aye, captain!” She says with a wide grin and a mock salute, making everyone in the room laugh or at least chuckle. Silently, otherwise unmoving, Taako lifts one of his hands up for a high-five and Lup gives his palm a hearty slap and cackles. Taako returns to his dozing.

Davenport keeps receiving complaints about the pair.

During a briefing, both of the twins had been awake but they were playing patty cake in the back row instead of participating.

One of the instructors had made them sit on separate sides of the room, hoping that they would calm down somewhat. But instead of focusing on the lesson, the twins had thrown notes at each other, until Lup had gotten angry with something Taako had written. She had thrown a paper ball at her brother, lighting it on fire with a snap of her fingers right as it hit him. Taako had fallen off his chair with a loud yelp, interrupting the lesson.

They pay no attention, they cause constant disturbance and they made one of the teachers cry.

But they still ace every test.

Eventually, Davenport’s irritation turns into acceptance, which makes way for exasperated fondness. The twins are amazingly smart, and their classmates love their shenanigans and respect their skills. They might be a couple of mischievous troublemakers but there is no doubt that they are intelligent.

They are the terrible, but oh so brilliant.

Davenport needs them on his ship.


	5. Cuddle-starved (DAY FIVE: taako ship)

 

Kravitz steps through the rift and lets go of his scythe. It evaporates into thin air and closes the screaming void behind him at the same time. Taako is curled up on a corner of the couch, half buried in throw pillows. He’s wearing an oversized cardigan on top of a loose shirt, leggings and knee-high wool socks. He looks very much like a homeless librarian. Even his hair is up in a bun, held in place by what Kravitz recognizes to be Taako’s second favorite wand. The only thing he’s missing are a pair of reading glasses perched on his pointy nose.

“You look tired.” Kravitz says, earning a glare from Taako but it doesn’t have any heat behind it.

“Gee, thanks. Missed you too bone daddy.” Taako says and slouches even deeper into the pillows, almost disappearing into the pile.

“Krav.”

“Mm?”

“Put your skin on. I want cuddles.” Taako says and makes grabby hands at Kravitz, who looks down at his skeletal hands, saying “Oh, sorry. Of course.”

He ‘puts on his flesh suit’ as Taako sometimes puts it, and goes to sit on the couch. Taako springs up from the mound of pillows with surprising vigor and pushes his boyfriend down on and flops on him, knocking the non-existent breath out of Kravitz’s lungs.

Kravitz grunts a little because even though Taako doesn’t weigh much, his elbows are really sharp. Kravitz wraps his arms around Taako without hesitation, always happy to indulge his cuddle-starved boyfriend.

“I really missed you, boo.” Taako mumbles into the crook of Kravitz’s neck, who feels a twang of guilt in his chest, where his heart would be. Taako pushes his hands under Kravitz’s back and holds on tight.

“I’m sorry, darling.” Kravitz says and brings his hand up to brush his fingers against Taako’s hairline, at the nape of his neck.

“‘s okay.” Taako sighs, his breath puffing against Kravitz’s cold skin in a pleasant sensation, but the way the words are delivered makes Kravitz's throat constrict.

“No, I–”

“Naw, I get it.” Taako says, still quiet, and presses a small kiss to the skin below his lips. “You’re a busy man.”

“That doesn’t make it okay.” Kravitz whispers, pressing his cheek against Taako’s forehead and embracing him more securely. Taako just hums noncommittally in response. Kravitz turns his head to kiss Taako’s hair, saying “I love you.”

Taako groans and hides his face in Kravitz’s shirt.

“Ugh, you sap. Get out of my house.” Taako mumbles into Kravitz’s shoulder but snuggles closer.

“I love you too.” He whispers into the fabric, like a scandalous secret, but Kravitz hears it. He brushes his fingers along the lobe of Taako’s ear causing it to twitch, but after a moment Taako relaxes and starts to fall asleep.

Kravitz closes his eyes and follows suit, just as a pleased purr kickstarts in Taako’s chest.


	6. Midnight snack (DAY SIX: lup ship)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry is a denim disaster and Lup loves him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on [this post](https://hugbugbear.tumblr.com/post/170295092133/someone-draw-barry-and-lup-in-this-or-ill-have-to)

The Starblaster, kitchen, after midnight.

Lup sits on a stool at the breakfast bar, chin propped up on her palm, staring boredly and resolutely un-helpful as Taako moves around the kitchen, gathering the makings of a way too complicated midnight snack.

Barry wanders in, wearing his goddamn sleep jeans and Magnus’ shirt. With almost everyone on the ship always stealing the fighter’s shirts from the clean laundry pile, it was no wonder Magnus himself was going bare-chested most of the time.

He shuffles to the fridge and pulls out a pitcher of juice. His eyes are blurry with sleep, his glasses are missing and his hair is sleep-tousled and even messier than usual. Lup smiles at him, endeared, while Taako just shakes his head at him and gently nudges him out of the way to get something from a bottom drawer.

Barry stares at Lup, confused, for a moment too long to be not awkward before squinting at her and saying “Those are cute jeans, Lup.”

“Aww, Barold, _you’re_  cute jeans.” Lup coos at her boyfriend, and swoons, just a little because he’s just too adorable when he looks so puzzled.

Barry blinks at her, still confused, and takes a sip straight from the container. Taako gags behind him, unsubtle on purpose.

“Those are mine?” Barry asks, and Lup frowns.

“No?”

Barry is mid-sip as he seemingly feels Taako’s eyes boring to the back of his skull and he goes to a cabinet to get an actual glass to drink from. Even though the juice has already been tainted by his backwash.

“Oh. I thought you said  _your_  cute jeans.” He says and pours a glass. Lup sets both of her arms down on the table and looks at him seriously. Taako cracks an egg into a bowl with one hand, a whisk in the other.

“I did.” Lup says, and Taako goes to grab another egg.

Barry turns to look at her again, glass of juice in hand. “Those are my jeans?”

Taako spontaneously crushes the raw egg in his fist, eyes and hair wild, and shrieks at the two of them, exasperated.

“Get the  _fuck_  out of my kitchen  _right now_  or I’ll burn all my slots to throw both of you over the railing I swear to  _SHIT!_ ” 

 

 


	7. The End (DAY SEVEN: post canon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some twin angst, no happiness here be warned. Based on [this post](https://nicodead.tumblr.com/post/170358010855/twinsweek-day-4-free-spaceheadcanons-she) by [@nicodead](https://tmblr.co/moq9B87JScd3QTvGnWmaLSg) except I made it sad lol
> 
> This is kind of a companion piece to [The End](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13290267) which is from Taako’s POV.

Lup turns to her side on the bed and scoots closer to her brother. She wraps her arms around his middle and pushes against his back, hides her face in his hair to breathe him in because she’s missed him. She’s missed holding him, missed having him close. **  
**

“Fuck, Lup,” Taako grumbles and pulls away a bit. “You’re like a goddamn furnace.”

Lup stiffens and chokes back a small sound of distress. Taako doesn’t notice because he’s already asleep again. He sleeps so deeply nowadays, like his mind is heavy with all the memories.

Lup stays still and bites on her lip to stay calm. She has always ran a little hot, her body heat high but Taako never used to mind. Lup thinks of the Grim Reaper and his cold and clammy skin and thinks that is what Taako needs now.

It’s been ten years and Taako’s changed. It terrifies her. Sometimes she thinks she’s lost him.

She might have been stuck inside an umbrella but at least she remembered. Taako had nothing. He became a person with a shitty past and a shitty life, he turned cold, cruel and guarded.

Nothing like the brother she used to know.

Lup pulls away and gets off the bed and Taako doesn’t even flinch. This would’ve never been possible before, they had been so tuned to each other. They couldn’t sleep without each other, not able to stay calm without knowing where the other was.

She leaves the bedroom, closes the door and goes to sit on the couch alone and if she cries a little then that’s fine. Crying is healthy, or some shit. At least that’s what Barry told her.

She cries a lot.

She sits alone, hugging her knees, taking as little space as possible. She rocks back and forth on the cushion, small, unconscious movements as tears silently stream down her face, down her chin and make the knees of her pajama pants wet.  
  
And when she hears Taako’s high pitched whine as he is hit by a night terror she covers her ears and squeezes her eyes shut because there’s nothing she can do.  
  
She can’t go back in that room. Back to Taako’s bedroom, she thinks and realizes that there will never be a ‘their room’ again. There’s never going to be anything 'ours’ again. No 'we’.

No ‘Lup and Taako’. Just ‘Taako’ and just ‘Lup’.

Maybe ‘Lup and Barry’, and ‘Taako and Kravitz’ but it’s not the same thing, and Barry isn’t here and neither is Kravitz and she feels like a stranger in her brother’s house. They used to be two pieces of the same puzzle but now it’s like they’ve both changed so much that they belong to different pictures entirely.

Lup bites the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood and she’s holding her ears so hard it hurts but it grounds her so it’s fine. It stops her from spiraling, to where she isn’t sure but she doesn’t want to find out.

She thinks about being in the umbrella, being cold, unhearing and unseeing and just as she remembers the feeling of the poisoned dagger sinking into her back someone grabs her wrists. She gasps and jerks away so hard that she hits her head against the couch and she feels dazed.

It’s Barry, holding her wrists gently and pulling her hands away from her hurting ears. He looks sad and concerned, and over his shoulder Lup sees Kravitz disappear into Taako’s, no, into their bedroom, because it’s Kravitz’s house too.

Lup hiccups a sob and thinks that she looks like a mess with tears and snot all over her face but it’s  _Barry_  and so it doesn’t matter.

“Barry,” she blubbers through her tears and tastes iron on her tongue. Barry pulls her into his arms and she buries her face into his shirt and wails.

She cries and chokes and almost screams because she’s the one who left, who wrote ‘back soon’ on a piece of paper and didn’t keep the promise.

Lup abandoned her brother, despite all their promises to never let go and now she’s lost him.

It hurts worse than all the dying.


End file.
